Earth moving equipment



J1me 1964 A. J. VAN AUWELAER 3,139,199

EARTH MOVING EQUIPMENT Filed Sept. 15, 1961 so 35 FIG! 36 l2 0 o, a O

l 242 I) 26 0 1 20 I6 I I INVENTOR. A.J. VAN AUWELAER AGENT United States Patent 3,139,199 EARTH MOVING EQUIPNENT Albert J. Van Auwelaer, Moline, Ili., assignor to Deere & Company, Moline, 1ll., a corporation of Delaware Filed Sept. 13, 1961, Ser. No. 137,769 10 Claims. (Cl. 214-138) The present invention relates to improvements in powered earth moving equipment, and more particularly to backhoes.

In the past when it has been necessary to dig a footing in a newly excavated basement or alongside an existing structure, it has been necessary to dig there by hand. This has been so because in power operated earth moving equipment such as the conventional backhoe, the bucket is centrally located on the swingable arm and must be drawn to the mount on the tractor. The mount is customarily placed between and to the rear of the rear wheels of the tractor. Therefore it is not possible to dig a footing which would be parallel to the line of the tractoralong a line outside the rear wheels of the tractor.

Therefore it is an object of this invention to construct a power operated earth moving apparatus with a laterally offset bucket.

Another object of this invent-ion is to provide an adapter whereby a bucket may be laterally offset from the dipper stick of a backhoe in such a manner that it will be possible to dig a footing in a newly excavated basement or alongside -an existing structure.

Another object of this invention is to provide mounting means whereby buckets of different widths may be mounted on a power operated earth moving apparatus.

It is still a further object of this invention to provide an adapter whereby buckets of different widths may be mounted on the dipper stick of a backhoe.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reference to the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

' FIG. l'is'a view illustrating a tractor having a backhoe mounted thereon.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view illustrating applicants novel structure being employed to dig a footing.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the bucket, supporting structure for the bucket and the portion of the boom structure.

FIG. 4 is a front view of structure shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the structure shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is a view of a modified form of applicants invention, similar to that shown in FIG. 4.

The backhoe 10 is of the type normally mounted on the rear of a tractor 11. The backhoe 10 includes a vertically adjustable, swingable boom 12, a dipper stick 14, and a bucket 16. The tractor is provided with a main frame 18 having a track structure 20 to which a mast frame 22 is secured by a plurality of fasteners (not shown). The track structure 20 is provided with a plurality of apertures 24 whereby the mast frame 22 can be selectively secured to the main frame at a plurality of locations. .In FIGS. 1 and 2 the mast frame is illustrated as secured to the outer left extremity of the track structure. 1

The boom 12 is pivotally mounted at one end to swing cylinder 26 which is mounted within the mast frame 22. The swing cylinder is employed to swing the boom 12 about a vertical axis passing through the mast frame. A boom cylinder 28 is pivotally secured at one end to the swing cylinder and at the other end to the boom, and is hydraulically actuated to raise and lower the boom 12.

The dipper stick 14 is pivotally mounted at one end to the boom 12 by pivot pin 30. A dipper stick cylinder 32 is mounted between upwardly projecting ears 34 on the 3,139,199 Patented June 30, 1964 "ice boom 12 and the uppermost portion 35 of dipper stick 14. The dipper stick cylinder 32 hydraulically actuated and serves to move the dipper stick toward and away from the tractor 12.

An adapter 36 is mounted at one end of the dipper stick 14 and is comprised of a plate 37 having oppositely disposed surfaces, a pair of upstanding pivot lugs 38, 39 which are welded to one surface of the plate, and a depending flange 56 which is welded to the other surface of the plate. The lugs 38, 39 are symmetrical as illustrated in FIG. 3 and are provided with a plurality of apertures through which bucket pivot pins 40, 41 pass. Pivotally secured to the rearmost bucket pivot pin 40 is a pair of bucket control links 42, which are apertured at one end to receive the bucket pivot pin 40 and are apertured at their other end to receive the bucket cylinder pivot pin 44. A pair of coupler links 46 is apertured at one end and the bucket cylinder pivot pin 44 also passes through these apertures. The coupler links are pivotally secured at their other end to the dipper stick 14. A bucket cylinder 48 is pivotally mounted on the bucket cylinder pivot pin 44 at one end, and said cylinder is pivotally secured at its other end to a pair of upstanding ears 50 on the dipper stick 14. The end of the dipper stick 14 is pivotally mounted on the bucket pivot pin 41. The bucket cylinder 48 is hydraulically actuated and serves to rotate the bucket 16 about the bucket pivot pin 41.

The plate 36 is provided with a plurality of apertures 52 through which fasteners 54 may pass in order to secure the bucket to the apertured plate. The depending flange 56 is also provided with a plurality of apertures whereby the bucket may also be secured by fasteners 58 to the depending flange. The apertures on the plate are so arranged that buckets of various widths may be secured to the plate since the desired width of footing may vary from job to job. The apertures are also so located that the bucket could also be centered on the dipper stick for trenching other than footings.

The operation of applicants device is as follows: With the boom 12 slid over to the left end portion of the track structure 20 (as illustrated in FIG. 2) footing could be dug with the backhoe bucket thereby saving costly hand labor. The procedure would be to dig with the boom 12 on the offset left position as far as tractor length would allow on all four sides. The mast frame 22 is then shifted over to the right end portion of track structure 20, the bucket pins 40, 41 are pulled and the adapter 36 is rotated and resecured by pins 40, 41 to the bucket control link 42 and dipper stick 14. Then the bucket is unfastened from the adapter and resecured in a forward facing direction. Then those portions of the footing which could not be dug to the length of the tractor can now be dug.

A modification of applicants invention is illustrated in FIG. 6. In this modification the adapter is formed so that it is symmetrical with the center of the dipper stick 14. The plate 137 is provided with two upright pivot lugs 138, 139 which are Welded to the plate and spaced an equal distance from the center of the plate. These pivot lugs 138, 139 have the same structure as the pivot lugs 38, 39. The plate 137 is also provided with two depending flanges 156, 156 which are similar in construction to the depending flange 56. The flanges 156, 156 are also spaced an equal distance from the center of the plate 137. The bucket 16 is rigidly secured to the modified form of adapter in the same manner as it is secured to the adapter 36. In this modification it would not be necessary to rotate the adapter when changing the boom position from left to right, it merely being necessary to remount the bucket 16 on the other end of the adapter.

Having now described and illustrated this invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the specific form or arrangement of parts shown and.

described herein.

What is claimed is:

1. A backhoe comprising: a boom, an elongated dipper stick, said stick being pivotally mounted at one end to the boom to swing in the vertical plane of the boom, an adapter member pivotally secured to the other end of said dipper stick including a portion offset to one side of the dipper stick, a bucket mounted on said adapter portionin a. spacedly and laterally offset relation from said dipper stick; and power means extending between the adapter member and dipper stick for pivoting the latter on the former.

2. A powered earth moving apparatus comprising: a swingable arm, an elongated rigid structure, said structure having oppositely disposed surfaces, a plurality of upstanding lugs mounted on one surface, means adapted to pivotally secure said lugs to said arm, a bucket, and bucket mounting means laterally and spacedly offset with respect to said pivot lugs and adapted to rigidly secure said bucket to said elongated rigid structure.

3. The invention set forth in claim 2, further characterized by said bucket mounting means including a flange laterally offset with respect to said pivot lugs and disposed normal to a surface and adjacent the side of the bucket; apertures in said flange and said rigid elongated structure and fasteners adapted to pass through said apertures and rigidly secure the bucket to said structure and said flange.

4. A backhoe comprising: a boom, an elongated dipper stick, said dipper stick being pivotally mounted at one end to the boom, a rigid elongated structure having oppositely disposed surfaces, a plurality of upstanding pivot lugs mounted on one surface, means adapted to pivotally secure said lugs to said dipper stick, a flange extending from the other surface. of said structure and laterally offset with respect to said pivot lugs, a bucket, bucket mounting means adapted to rigidly secure said bucket adjacent the other surface of the structure and the flange in an offset position relative to the dipper stick; and hydraulic means between the dipper stick and the elongated structure for effecting pivotal movement of the latter.

5. A backhoe comprising: a boom, an elongated dipper stick, said dipper stick being pivotally mounted at one end to the boom to swing in the vertical plane of the boom, a rigid elongated structure having oppositely disposed surfaces, a plurality of upstanding pivot lugs mounted on one surface and equally spaced from the center of said structure, means adapted to pivotally secure said lugs to said dipper stick, a plurality of vertical flanges on the other surface of said structure and equally spaced from the center of said structure, a bucket, and bucket mounting means adapted to rigidly secure said bucket adjacent the other surface of the structure and one of the flanges in an offset spaced position relative to the dipper stick and boom.

6. A backhoe comprising: a boom, boom mounting means adapted to mount said boom on a tractor, said boom mounting means having a main frame including a track transverse structure, a mast frame slidably fixed on said track frame, and means to pivotally secure said boom to the mast frame; an elongated dipper stick, said dipper stick being pivotally mounted at one end to said boom to swing in the vertical plane of the boom; a bucket cylinder pivotally mounted at one end to said dipper stick; bucket control links pivotally secured at one end to said bucket cylinder; an elongated rigid structure having oppositely disposed surfaces; upstanding pivot lugs rigidly secured to one surface of said structure, means adapted to pivotally secure the pivot lugs to the other end of the bucket control links and the other end of the elongated dipper stick; a flange extending from the other surface of said structure and laterally offset with respect to said dipper stick, a bucket, and bucket mounting means adapted to rigidly secure said bucket adjacent the other surface of the structure and the flange in an offset and spaced position relative to the dipper stick.

7. An adapter adapted to be mounted on a vertically swingable arm of a power operated earth moving apparatus whereby a bucket can be secured to the adapter and be laterally and spacedly offset with respect to the vertical plane of said swingable arm, said adapter comprising a plate with opposite end portions and having an upper surface and a lower surface, two upstanding apertured pivot lugs extending from the upper surface of said plate adjacent one of its end portions whereby said plate can be pivotally secured to said swingable arm, a de pending apertured flange extending from the lower surface of the opposite end portion of said plate, and a plurality of apertures passing through said plate whereby a bucket can be rigidly secured adjacent to said plate and said flange ina spaced offset position relative to the lugs by fasteners passing through said apertures.

8. The invention set forth in claim 7, further characterized by said apertures on said plate being so arranged and constructed that buckets of different widths may be rigidly secured to the adapter.

9. An adapter for mounting an earth moving element in a spaced offset relation to the vertical plane of a swingable arm of a power operated earth moving apparatus, said adapter comprising: a rigid elongated structure disposed transverse to the arm, projecting lug means mounted on said structure at one end thereof, said lug means being adapted to be pivotally secured to said swingable arm, and mounting means on the other end of the structure for the earth moving element whereby the earth moving element can be secured to said structure and be laterally offset in a spaced relation with respect to said swingable arm.

10. A backhoe adapted for connection to a tractor comprising: a transversely disposed supporting stand adapted for mounting on one end of the tractor, and having transversely spaced ends spaced apart substantially the transverse expanse of the tractor; a boom structure; means supporting the boom structure on the stand for vertical swinging action, the means being adaptable for selectively supporting the boom on the ends of the supporting stand; a dipper stick pivoted on the end of the boom; hydraulic means for moving the dipper stick toward and away from the stand; a bucket; and a transversely extending bucket support having one end connected to the dipper stick and a transversely spaced end connected to the bucket whereby the bucket may be disposed outside the expanse of the supporting frame and tractor while the boom and dipper stick are retained within the expanse.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,658,634 Waller Nov. 10, 1953 2,710,090 Fulper June 1, 1955 2,994,446 Van Auwelaer et al. Aug. 1, 1961 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,037,966 Germany Aug. 28, 1958 

1. A BACKHOE COMPRISING: A BOOM, AN ELONGATED DIPPER STICK, SAID STICK BEING PIVOTALLY MOUNTED AT ONE END TO THE BOOM TO SWING IN THE VERTICAL PLANE OF THE BOOM, AN ADAPTER MEMBER PIVOTALLY SECURED TO THE OTHER END OF SAID DIPPER STICK INCLUDING A PORTION OFFSET TO ONE SIDE OF THE DIPPER STICK, A BUCKET MOUNTED ON SAID ADAPTER PORTION IN A SPACEDLY AND LATERALLY OFFSET RELATION FROM SAID DIPPER STICK; AND POWER MEANS EXTENDING BETWEEN THE ADAPTER MEMBER AND DIPPER STICK FOR PIVOTING THE LATTER ON THE FORMER. 